Founder Catalyst (Ministry of Awesome)
AcceleratorChristchurch · Pre-Seed–Seed · 23 people tracked
Investment thesis
Ministry of Awesome supports founders at every stage of their journey with staged programmes. Startup Aotearoa connects idea-stage founders with startup coaches. Pre-Founder Catalyst focuses on customer-informed product development with a dedicated entrepreneur to prepare for go-to-market. Founder Catalyst pairs founders showing early customer traction and emerging product-market fit with a seasoned entrepreneur acting as an honorary co-founder to build personal capabilities, scale the company, expand overseas, and raise private capital. All programmes are open to founders across New Zealand.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 23 people
from the firm's websiteCEO of Ministry of Awesome, leading its mission to build a collaborative startup ecosystem across Aotearoa. An innovation leader experienced in strategy, cross-functional programme design, and connecting government, universities, startups, and industry.
Creative marketing specialist working across design, brand, events, and marketing to represent and share the organization's stories and values.
CMO overseeing marketing, brand management, digital marketing, and social media, and building community around Te Ōhaka.
Startup ecosystem specialist with 15 years supporting founders; former Investment Director at NZGCP and Executive Director of the Angel Association.
Co-founder of Narrative Muse, an ethical audience intelligence platform, leading product vision and commercial growth; previously worked in film and TV including on the Emmy-winning series Rūrangi.
Board chair with over 20 years in senior business leadership to CEO level and senior roles at government agencies including the Ministry for Māori Development and Ministry for Primary Industries.
Early-stage founder advisor with 25+ years building and scaling tech companies, including a European social network exit. Co-founder of a leading NZ startup accelerator, supporting founders on product-market fit and go-to-market.
Co-founder of Myovolt, focused on commercialising R&D, with a 25-year track record as an inventor and company founder delivering innovations to international markets.
Former health tech founder with experience across research, product development, commercialisation, investor relations, and financial management, now supporting founders bringing high-impact solutions to market.
Venture-backed serial entrepreneur in NZ and NYC and a go-to-market specialist advising companies including Halter, Tracksuit, and Sence.
Product development consultant with 20 years in product marketing and entrepreneurship; co-founder and former CEO of Startup Queenstown Lakes.
Fintech founder and entrepreneur with a background in strategy, finance, and economics, recognized as a University of Auckland Top 40 Under 40 and 2023 IBM Hi-Tech Awards Inspiring Individual.
Chartered Accountant and Associate Director at EY specialising in financial, accounting, and taxation needs of privately owned businesses; helped build the EY–MOA partnership.
Founder and CEO of Partly and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree who previously built four companies and led the guidance and simulation team at Rocket Lab.
Early employee and first Head of People at Canva, and former operational leader at Airtasker; an investor and mentor to startups.
Leads the Electrify initiative supporting women and non-binary founders in New Zealand, and is a former Chief Executive of Ministry of Awesome. She previously spent 15 years in marketing and growth strategy for tech startups in NZ and with Universal Studios and Discovery Networks in the US and Europe.
Business development, marketing, and strategic leader and serial entrepreneur with a background in SaaS, agritech, and community ventures, supporting growth and commercial strategy for startups.
Entrepreneur, technologist, and educator; co-founder and former CTO of Y Combinator-backed Nuvocargo, with prior machine learning and product/engineering leadership roles.
Business strategist with expertise in sales strategy, food & beverage, and healthtech, helping others develop solutions for profitable, sustainable growth.
Former CEO of Dotterel Technologies, which he scaled from startup to international deployments; now advises founders on go-to-market, fundraising, sales, and product development.
Co-founder and CEO of Reason and founder of RescueMetrics; an investor and advisor helping founders with product-market fit and go-to-market strategy.
Head of Operations keeping the organization running smoothly, with experience across corporate, manufacturing, hospitality, and retail industries.
CIO responsible for developing and managing Ministry of Awesome's startup and innovation products, drawing on over two decades in Silicon Valley's entrepreneurship and innovation scene.
Investments · 14 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathAI platform that simplifies construction and insurance workflows, founded by Jackie Huo and Claudia Feng.
Workplace safety company using smart technology to predict risks and prevent accidents, founded by Tane van der Boon.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Founder Catalyst (Ministry of Awesome) invest at?
- Founder Catalyst (Ministry of Awesome) invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What sectors does Founder Catalyst (Ministry of Awesome) focus on?
- Founder Catalyst (Ministry of Awesome) focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Founder Catalyst (Ministry of Awesome) located?
- Founder Catalyst (Ministry of Awesome) is headquartered in Christchurch, NZ.
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